Your goal is to design a new drug that will inhibit communication between neuron

Question

Your goal is to design a new drug that will inhibit communication between neurons in the motivation and reward pathway in the brain.

1. What endogenous neurotransmitter is most closely associated with the motivation and reward pathway?

2. Describe two mechanisms (one presynaptic and one postsynaptic) by which your drug could act. Please make sure to include all relevant details (e.g., what specific aspect of neuronal transmission is your drug targeting? How will this inhibit communication between the presynaptic and postsynaptic neuron? What specific ion channels/ions/receptors/etc. will be involved?).

3. In clinical trials, you determine that your drug is becoming less effective over time. What is this phenomenon called? Given the mechanisms you described, what change in patients’ neurons is leading to the decrease in drug effectiveness?

Explanation / Answer

1. The dopmaine neurotransmittors is associated with the motivation and reward pathway of the brain.

2. The level of the dopamine neurotransmittors increased during the reward and motivation pathway of the brain. The reward pathway of the brain helps in connecting the ventral tegmetal area inside the brain with the ventral striatum which is present in the forebrain. The release of the dopamine regulates the desire and the motivation of the rewading stimuli.

3. The low level of the dopamine can cause the slow rate of action of the designed drug. When the drug become less effective over a period of time, the phenomenon is called the drug tolerance.

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